Rescue after three days under rubble and mud - flash flood in the Himalayas claims victims

Rescued after three days under rubble and mud. A young girl is rescued from the rubble of a residential building by Nepalese police officers. The extent of the disaster following the deadly flash flood in the Himalayas is becoming increasingly visible. Serafin Reiber travels deep into the disaster zone for SPIEGEL.

Serafin Reiber, SPIEGEL:

»We are on the highway towards Dhunche. There is an important base for the Nepalese army there to rescue the people further back in the valley. And you can see very clearly here why this water was able to absorb these masses at such a rate. What we see here is a very, very narrow, tapered valley with a very, very narrow valley floor.

On the way, our reporter meets people who live here and who lost almost everyone in the flash flood.

Residents:

"It was very powerful, like an explosion."

Reporter:

“What sound did it make?”

Residents:

“Wruuuum.”

»It was loud, very loud. Because it was so loud, we went up here, then we ran, otherwise it would have carried us away too."

Reporter:

“Did anyone warn you about a flood?”

Mendo Gyalm, resident:

»No, I didn't know anything about it. She came without any warning. When I saw her, I ran upstairs. Then I started crying. I didn't know where to go. So I started crying. Then a helicopter came. We have nothing. There are no roads – how are we supposed to eat? It will take at least a few more years to build these roads.”

The small town of Betrawoti further down the river is completely destroyed. A resident finds a picture of her daughter in the rubble. The small family's shop was flooded - but everyone is fine. But there are also dead people in Betravoti, many are still lying here in the village.

Sneha Shrestha, animal rights activist:

“If they don't start recovering and caring for the bodies very soon, it will cause a variety of extremely dangerous diseases such as cholera. It's even hard for me to breathe here. And those who were saved here must live here. They have nowhere else to go.”

A good two hours' drive further north is the town of Dhunche, a disaster relief hub.